On the Scene: ‘Puerto Ricans in Paris’ Movie Premiere

We were on the scene of the new hit movie “Puerto Ricans in Paris” and got exclusive interviews with the cast. 

At the premiere screening of Puerto Ricans in Paris, the cast spoke about their experiences in the film, shooting on location in Paris and working with director Ian Edelman. The film, written by Ian Edelman and Neel Shah, was executive produced by rapper Pitbull. The comedy starred Luiz Guzmán and Edgar Garcia, while casting Rosario Dawson and Rosie Perez as their spouses. Its premise fell in line with most feel good comedies: two undercover officers are sent to Paris to track down a counterfeit bag to return to America. Along the way, we learn about their marital woes and follow them as they seem to get into more antics than expected.

Edelman, who is best known for the hit HBO show How to Make it in America, spoke to us about how the idea for his directorial debut film was conceptualized and where the eye-catching movie title originated from.

Where did the idea of the film come from?

Ian: I had the idea because Eddie, Luis and I made our show How to Make it in America together. So we were like “What are we gonna do?” I was at a friend’s house and she had Quincy Jones’ record Americans in Paris. And then I thought, wow that’s so funny and then I thought about Puerto Ricans in Paris.

Tell me about your location scouting in Paris.

Ian: We looked through a bunch of interiors in Prague that would be looking out into courtyards and little tricks so that we would sell the ‘Paris’ of it all. The Parisian architecture, the zig zag, the wood floors, and Paris is old, so the buildings are all built in the same style.

And how did Pitbull get involved as an executive producer?

Ian: He actually saw a cut of the film and we were looking to bring in someone who could help us cut through all the clutter and someone who had an impact in the culture. So he saw it and he was in! My friend has a friend named David Ortiz, who works with Pitbull and he was like “Why don’t I just text him right now” and I was like “Do it!” It literally came from a casual conversation and he came through and it was great.

Rosario Dawson, who plays Luis’s girlfriend, spoke about her shooting in Paris and how she got started with the film.

What do you love about Paris?

Rosario: The light is beautiful. It’s a beautiful place and it’s got a rich history and it’s got incredible people. It’s known for food and for fashion and stuff and now it’s also known for turmoil and stress and I think these are important parts of the conversation to look at and we should always take every opportunity to see all the different sides of things going on.

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How was it collaborating with the director, Ian?

Rosario: I’ve worked with so many people, I have never been stopped by so many people that have been like “Oh my god, you did a movie with Ian!” He is so beloved. I think this is going to be a big thing for his career moving forward because he put this together like scotch tape and glue. Like it really was like “How did you do this man?” I’m really proud of him, he did a great job and I hope it goes well. Pitbull and everybody, all the contributions that everybody made hopefully made it better. I hope I didn’t suck! I was a little stressed.

One half of the undercover duo, Edgar Garcia, spoke about the significance of the film for him.

So speak about what attracted you to the project

Edgar: Well, it’s not your stereotypical role where Latinos are portrayed in a negative light, you know? I’m a family man, which in real life that’s how I live my life. Everything I do, I do for my family. That’s how Eddie in the movie was portrayed. Luiz, of course, he’s the playboy, the little lover boy, in life we all know someone like that. It shows the reality of life, how people work, how people take care of their families and the different personalities. It was a lot of fun filming it.

What were some highlights for you while you were in Europe?

It was great. The architecture, the culture, the food of course – who doesn’t love Parisian food? It was a really nice experience. The actors are tremendous actors. The chemistry between all of us was amazing, it was like we had known each other forever.

How was working with Ian?

Ian is incredible. I worked with Ian on How to Make it In America. Tremendous writer. Very talented, him and Neel Shah. You gotta get a good script, good storyline and get the actors to portray and bring them to life. And I’m glad that, from what I hear, we were able to accomplish that.

How do you feel about the representation of Latino characters in film?

Edgar: We need diversity. If Hollywood can write those scripts for people of color, then we need people to congregate and get together to create those roles on our own.

Following the screening guests headed around the corner to Tiki Tabu at Sixty LES.

Puerto Ricans in Paris premieres in theaters June 10. Check out the trailer.